


Chasing the Birthday Girls

by QueenGeekRose



Series: Mark X Poly!Reader X Jack [2]
Category: Game Grumps, Kids w/ Problems RPF, Lordminion777 - Fandom, Muyskerm - Fandom, PewDiePie - Fandom, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: AU, Babies, Children, F/M, Fluffy, Friendship, M/M, Multi, One Shot, Party, Polyamory, Reader-Insert, Series, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-08-13 15:16:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7981240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenGeekRose/pseuds/QueenGeekRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's birthday time for Jack, Stephanie, Samantha, Tiana, and Danielle!  </p><p>Sequel to On The Other side Of The Camera.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Party Prep

**Author's Note:**

> This work picks up on for the girls' first birthday (and Jack's birthday), about seven months after the end of the last story.
> 
> \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I couldn't believe it was already time to celebrate Jack's birthday again. And of course the girls. This was going to be their first birthday now, and I couldn't help but reflect on the last year with them. All four of them were doing amazingly well, already walking in the adorable clumsy baby steps of early toddlers everywhere, and had been for a few months. I wasn't totally surprised. Mom had always told me I walked young too, but the fact that all four of them started walking in the same week was amazing. Tiana and Stephanie were the first ones to both stand up on their own and walk, taking us by surprise when it happened. Sammi and Dani weren't far behind though. And now they have all started talking. So far Danielle and Samantha have the bigger vocabularies, but all four of them say Mama, Dada, Papa, and a small handful of other words everyday. We had flown out for short visits to everyone at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years again, stopping at Cincinnati first this year. Mom drove up to visit for a few days while we were there as well. We flew to Ireland again for Christmas. I was fully recovered from my heart issues by my birthday, so I had once again found perfect Christmas presents, but this year, I had also found presents for Jack, Mark, and all four girls to supplement the bigger gifts I got for everyone. I was once again declared the winner of Christmas in Jack's family. Dee, Momiplier, Thomas, and Julie called to thank us for the gifts as well, surprising Jack and Mark. My family had waited Christmas for a few days until we flew in for the visit. Clarissa and Darrell had decided that they would wait to fly in until closer to when we got there so they could spend some time with all of us and got to the family get together. Eddie had gotten the job as a sound tech on the crew and had taken over the lease for my apartment, and he and Ray had gotten engaged two days after Christmas, although most of the family didn't know until New Years. I had helped arrange it, with Jack's and Mark's assistance, so we knew, but we had agreed not to tell anyone. They had flown back to visit Mom after filming wrapped for Christmas. Meanwhile, we had booked Chica and Steve, who were now best buddies and nearly inseparable, into a doggie hotel for our trips for Christmas and New Years. We had decided that flying the shorter distance of Ireland to my mother's was a lot more doable than directly flying home and then turning around and flying right back out, and we didn't want another immensely long flight with the girls so soon after the first one. They had seemed to like flying quite well however, and behaved pretty well, especially for not-quite-one-year-olds. It also helped that the flight we were on was an overnight with very few first class passengers in the compartment with us, so there wasn't a whole lot of distraction. They actually did sleep for much of the flight. Actually, they slept for most of all of our flights, whenever we went somewhere by plane with them. They had also seemed to very much enjoy spending time with all the different family members, even if they didn't remember meeting them before. They had needed to wake up and warm up a little bit, but then they were happy to go toddle over to whoever wanted to talk to them or play. It was adorable.

Mark came into the room, distracting me from my reminiscing. "Hey sweetie, what's up?" Mark looked over at me, grinning. 

"Well, at least you still notice when I come into the room. You looked completely lost in thought there. What were you thinking about this time? The girls? Work? Jack? Me? The dogs? Dinner? Family? All of the above, at the same time?"

I laughed. "Okay, you caught me. I was just thinking about the last year with the girls. Or actually last six months or so. I still can't believe how well they traveled and how much they have grown. They definitely don't look like babies anymore." I sighed. "So, where are they? Playing with Daddy no doubt, but where?"

Mark grinned. "Actually, Uncle Eddie and Uncle Ray stopped by. Daddy and the girls went to go meet them and play. Sammi called Eddie 'Unca Eddie' which made him pick her us and hug her right before I came in looking for you. She's really talking a lot lately, isn't she?"

I nodded. "Yup. So is Dani, although Steph and Tiana aren't that far behind either. I can't believe our babies are almost a year old." Mark came over and hugged me. I smiled and hugged him back. "So, are Jack and the girls going to be busy with Ray and Eddie for a little while?"

Mark looked at me curiously. "Probably. What did you have in mind?" 

I grinned at him. "Well, we still need to plan the party for the girls. Also, we need to figure out Jack's present. I'm not sure what to get him this year."

Mark grinned and chuckled at me. "Yeah, babe, I kind of doubt you can out do last year. That was a hell of a birthday surprise. Plus, you flew his family out as a surprise as well. I know we are doing that again, but we need something else too. And you're really out of ideas?"

I thought for several minutes. "Maybe not. Let me talk to a few of our friends and make a few phone calls. I might just have something that will work. But, I'm going to wait to tell you, in case it falls through." I leaned into Mark and kissed his cheek. "Actually, I kind of want to see if while the family is all here, if some of them will watch the girls so we can have a weekend to ourselves. We haven't really had that since last summer, and even then all we could do was think about my surgery." I shivered a small bit, making Mark wrap his arms around me. "I hate thinking about that. It was too close to a disaster." 

Mark nodded. "That it was. Now, come here, gorgeous." He kissed me. "We have a few minutes of alone time. Can we slip away together?"

I shook my head ruefully. "Not really. I want to Mark, but you know what will happen. Besides, we really do need to plan this party for the girls. We have too many little ones in the group, what with my nephew, Henry, Felix's and Marzia's son, Jacob, and Suzy's and Arin's daughter, Katie, and the girls to plan something like a trip to Disney or Lego. Honestly, I'm not sure what to do for them. I know what theme we are going with, mostly because it's obvious. Maybe just have a princess party in the afternoon for them, and a grown up party for Jack separately?"

Mark smiled at me. "That sounds smart. The girls all love the different princesses and we have been calling them our little princesses since before they were born. Are you going to get costumes for them?" 

I laughed. "Of course. It's called dress up, Mark. That and tea parties are a hallmark of childhood for most little girls, even if we dress up as knights or dragons instead of the fairies and damsels in distress. Actually, I have some ideas for activities and we can let Jack's nieces and nephews help the little ones. I think mostly it's just going to be about the birthday foods for the kids. Well, that and opening presents."

Mark raised an eyebrow at me. "Who dressed up as a knight or dragon?"

I laughed. "I did. Or the witch. I never wanted to be the helpless princess. I was occasionally the prince even, when we were playing in a group and we didn't have any boys who would play with us. And by us, I mean my cousins and I usually. Actually, when I dressed up as the dragon, that was at a children's story time at a library when I was little. Later, I was running storytimes as an adult, and dressed up as the witch or the queen. Or a pirate. I still would have been the dragon, but we didn't have the costume for me."

Mark chuckled. "Well, that's interesting. So, we have a dress up party for the girls, with all their favorite foods and some cake. And a grown up party for Jack."

I paused for a minute. "Maybe not. Let';s ask Jack if he would rather have dinner out with friends and family, or a party here. I have an idea if he wants dinner out. Let me check with our family first and see if they can watch the girls for a bit. Like I said earlier, a weekend of just the three of us, not at a convention, would probably be the present Jack would like most. "

Mark nodded. "I think you're right. And babe, don't stress. We got this. You are amazing at all this, but Jack and I both are low key." I reached over and pulled Mark into a kiss, just as Jack walked in, trailing the girls like ducklings and Eddie and Ray following close behind. 

Jack grinned. "Well, girls, looks, like Papa and Mommy are having a good time. But they forgot ta include poor Daddy. What do ye four think about that?"

Dani ran over and tackled Mark's leg, followed shortly by Tiana and Stephanie. Sammi refused to let go of Jack's leg, which she had ridden into the room on. I grinned and escaped, heading over to Jack. "I didn't forget you, you doof. Mark just said something sweet. We were talking about the P-A-R-T-Y for some people. We have a theme and everything." I kissed Jack, long and hard, bring him in close. Sammi looked up at us and giggled before climbing off of Jack's leg onto mine. All three of us were used to the girls clinging to our legs like trailing vines, so this was nothing new, and I barely noticed the difference. 

When we separated from the kiss, Jack looked a little shaky. I grinned at him. He raised an eyebrow and growled low in his throat. "Stop torturing me. Too many little eyes here. And yer brother and his fiance." I winked at him and turned toward Mark again. He saw the whole interaction and looked at me shaking his head with a grin. "What? Mark looks like he wanted ta say something. What's going on?"

"He was just telling me I was right about something else. Let's go rescue him from the mob of princesses." I started to walk over, bringing Sammi with me, still on my leg, but stopped when I heard something that startled me.

Sammi was looking up at me. "NO! No Papa."

I bent down, gently pulling her off my leg, to face her. "Why don't you want me to go over to Papa? What's wrong Sammi?"

She crossed her arms. "Papa mean."

I looked at Jack for help. "Why is Papa mean, baby? What did he do wrong?"

She pointed at Jack. "Dada. Papa no Dada." 

I suddenly understood. "Oh baby, Daddy and Papa aren't fighting. Daddy didn't mean Papa was bad. He just felt lonely because Papa was talking with Momma not him. Okay? Look, Papa and Daddy and Momma all love each other very much and we love all our special princesses too."

Sammi looked at Jack. "Dada, k? No mad Papa?"

Jack shook his head. "No Sammi girl, I'm not mad at yer Papa. I'm sorry I confused ye. Now go give him a hug like yer sisters." Sammi ran off and hugged Mark's legs, knocking him off balance. Fortunately, he was able to catch himself on the back of the couch. He looked down and grinned at Sam.

I looked at Jack. "Whew. I'm glad we got that figured out." Suddenly, a thought occurred to me making me chuckle. "It's almost like riding herd on the comments sections of three YouTube channels, Twitter, and Tumblr, isn't it? Dealing with four toddlers."

Jack laughed. "Ye would be tha one person I know of who could say that with any certainty. Now, let's help Mark." I grinned and nodded, heading over and scooping up Tiana and Stephanie, snuggling them close. Jack took Dani, kissing her on the tip of the nose. The girls shrieked and kissed us back. The next half hour was typical chaos and noise for our family. Steve came in and distracted Dani, who walked over and started playing with him.

Tiana squirmed in my arms. "Ica? Where Ica? Want ta pway. Woof woof. Ica? Here Ica!" I let her down, grinning as I whistled for Chica , as requested. She came in carefully, hearing the girls and Tiana immediately ran up and started petting her. "Pat. Pat. Pat pat. Good Pupper. Ica good." I laughed and made the guys listen. Mark grinned as well. Jack shook his head, smiling. Sammi and Stephanie were playing with our hair. I suddenly had an idea. 

"Stephanie, Sammi, would you like to come with Momma and get a new hair cut? Mommy wants to look pretty for her little princesses at their party. Do you want to also?" Stephanie nodded. I looked at Mark and Jack and mouthed 'Color?'

Sammi crossed her arms. "NO! No hair. Bad." 

Mark grinned at her. "Someone is auditioning to be the youngest ever member of the Grumps I see. Sammi, don't you like the pretty colors in Momma's, Daddy's, and my hair?" Sammi nodded. "Would you like pretty color in yours too?" 

Sammi suddenly squealed and grinned, clapping. "Boo. Boo. Boo. I wike Boo!" 

I chuckled. "Sammi wants blue then. Okay. How about you Stephanie?"

Stephanie looked at us for a minute, her face scrunched up, thinking hard. "Wed. I wan Wed."

Jack and Mark looked confused. "Red for Princess Stephanie. Got it. Go find your shoes baby." She toddled off, to look for her shoes. I sent Sammi on the same errand. "Tiana? Dani? Can you please come here for a minute? The doggies can wait." They both walked over, holding out their hands to be cleaned. Jack grabbed the wet wipes and wiped the doggy drool off. "I'm going to go with your sisters to get haircuts. Do you want to come? We can get pretty colors for you as well."

They both jumped up and down, clapping. Tiana immediate started singing a nonsense song she made up on the spot about hair. We couldn't really understand any of it, but she was happy, so we just let her do her thing. Dani looked at us, grinning. "Geen! Peas. Geen!"

I chuckled. Jack looked surprised. Mark laughed. "Dani wants green then. So we have Stephanie, with red, Dani with green, Sammi with blue. I wonder what color Tiana will pick."

I rolled my eyes at Mark. "You know what color she's going to pick Mark. What color does she always pick? Purple. Right Tiana? Purple hair for you?" She danced in place now, nodding and squealing with delight. I shook my head. "Okay girls go find your shoes for me! Well that's done. Now we just have to get them in." 

Suddenly, I heard chuckles behind me. I turned to look. It was Eddie, Ray, and Jack. I raised an eyebrow at them. Jack answered. "Love, tha girls all picked tha colors of Momma's hair streaks. I don't know if they know they can pick other colors."

I stood up and looked over at him. "Well, I don't know. I also know those happen to be their favorite colors and the colors of Papa's and Daddy's hair too. And Uncle Felix." I thought for a minute. "Hang on, they know yellow is an option too, since Uncle Arin and Aunt Suzy have that. And Holly has pink hair. No, I think they just wanted their favorite colors."

Jack grinned. "Well, they still are gonna match their momma."

I winked. "Yep. We'll all be color coordinated. Do you want me to see if they can take you too, Jack? You could use a refresh on the green, and you are starting to look a little shaggy."

"Yes, please!" I raised an eyebrow at Mark, and he nodded as well. 

I grabbed my phone and called the local haircut place I used and asked if they could get us all in. At first they thought I was joking, but as soon as they realized I was serious, they scheduled us all to start in forty five minutes. I sighed and went to chase down shoes and girls, matching them up, and herding everyone to the car. I talked to Eddie briefly and asked if he wanted to come with us, but he wasn't feeling it, so he and Ray headed home. I got everyone in the minivan, loading in their car-seats, and buckled in place. Mark and Jack were in the front, so I rode in the middle of car-seat land, as Jack and I called it. 

We arrived exactly on time. Jack and Mark went first, while the girls all got their hair washed, cut and styled. I had the hair salon use the spray-in temporary dyes, demonstrating how they worked to me, so I could do it again later, at home. Even though I was fine with dying the girls hair, I knew the chemicals could be harsh and didn't want anything that could hurt them. One of the stylists also recommended hair chalk, which shows up well even on very dark hair. I thanked her and bought the recommended product in the colors the girls wanted, as well as pink, orange, and yellow. Then when Jack and Mark were all ready, it was my turn. The girls all watched, giggling when Jack said I looked like an alien with the foil in my hair and squealing when they saw me with the blonde streaks before the color was added. Dani ran over and patted my hand. "Momma k. Fix hair." 

I smiled at her. "Thank you Dani. I know I'll be okay. They aren't done yet. Next they have to add the pretty colors. Like they did for Daddy and Papa. I'll be right here and you can watch, but you need to go back over to Papa and Daddy now, okay, baby? Good girl. Thank you."

Jack grabbed her hand and held it the rest of the visit. When we were done, the girls were all impressed, patting my knee, like I was a dog. I grinned holding on to Sammi and Dani, our two little runners. Next we stopped to eat at Applebee's. The girls all wanted Macaroni and Cheese and broccoli, so that's what they got, along with some milk to drink. I ordered two side orders of apple slices and yogurt for them to share as well. I got a salad with chicken, blue cheese, and pecans. Mark got a burger. Jack got a chicken dish. We ate quickly, helping the girls as much as they would let us, and making sure most of the food stayed on the table, instead of flying through the air. The girls behaved quite well, even if they were _**very**_ messy eaters. We got them cleaned up, changed, and loaded in the car in no time, heading home for a relaxing evening. Tomorrow was the party after all, and we needed to unwind before things got completely crazy. Eddie had keys to the house, and he had been sneaking Jack's family in while we were gone, promising to make sure everyone stayed out of sight until I gave the signal. Mark and I had arranged everything, making the flights all coordinate so everyone arrived at the same time, hiring a shuttle for all of them, and asking Eddie to let them in. And of course, Jack's family was in on it. Dee, Mom, and Momiplier had arrived earlier in the week, which Jack new about, and he knew his parents were flying in, but he didn't know we managed to get everyone else as well. Just before we got home, I texted Eddie and told him about how far away we were. He sent back a thumbs up, so I knew everything was ready. There were no cars in our driveway, except our own, of course, and everything looked quiet when we pulled in. Jack and Mark came around to help me unleash the girls, but I sent Jack in to unlock and turn on the lights inside first. After he left I turned to the girls and whispered "Shhh. Momma and Papa have a surprise for Daddy in the house. Let's go help him find it, but be quiet okay?" 

All four girls grinned and put fingers on their lips like I had and giggled. I helped them out of their seats, one at a time. Mark held Tiana and Stephanie by the hand, while I had Dani and Sammi. We lead them in, the girls tiptoeing and being far more quiet than I had expected. Jack was in the kitchen, sorting the mail still. We watched, just out of sight until he stepped into the living room and turned on the light switch. Suddenly, everyone popped out, us included. The girls squeal with delight and ran over hugging him and yelling "Prise, Dada. 'Prise!" Mark and I grinned at each other. Everyone else was calling out to Jack too, who stood looking like he was going to pass out. I stepped over and kissed him.

"Well, Jackaboy, did we surprise you?"

"Holy mother of god! I thought I was going ta have a heart attack. How even did ye...?"

"Happy birthday, sweetie. Mark and I planned this as part of your present." I kissed his cheek. "Now, I think it's time for some stories and bed for the princesses. After all, tired princesses won't get presents or sweets tomorrow." Immediately all four girls looked at me and smiled. 

We heard a chorus of "Okay Momma." All four of them headed for the nursery, where we had converted the cribs into toddler beds. Mark and I helped them get ready to sleep, brushing little teeth, changing into jammies, and putting away the toys that were still out. When we were done, I looked out at Jack, who was talking to his brother Simon, but stopped and excused himself as soon as he saw me. He joined us and we tucked everyone into bed, placing kisses, hugs, and stuffed animals with everyone, then we settled in for the stories. This was our nightly ritual. Each of us read a story to the girls, who had picked the next nights books the previous night. Each girl picked who was going to read one story, then what story was going to be read. They had to share. And we had a chart, to keep track. The worst punishment the girls had gotten so far involved a timeout and losing two turns picking stories. It had seemed traumatic at the time, but it worked. Dani had been punching people, and when she was punished with this twice, she hasn't punched anyone since. It also stopped the biting. Tonight, the girls listened to the stories, but were clearly tired and excited about tomorrow. Only Sammi made it to the end of the last book, so she got to turn the light off next to her bed and chose the book she wanted tomorrow. We wrote it on the chart next to her name, making her grin and wished her goodnight, turning the other lights out as we left. The only remaining light was from two small nightlights at the end of the beds on either side of the room. One was a SepticEye Sam, by the foot of Samantha's bed and the head of Danielle's, and the other was a Tiny Box Tim, between Tiana and Stephanie. They watched over the girls while they slept and prevented bad dreams, we had told them. Fans had made them for the guys and given them to them at a convention, specifically for the babies. As we closed the door, I noticed Sammi was also asleep now, and I smiled. I put an arm around each of the guys and kissed them one at a time. We headed back into the bedlam that was the living room now, even if it was quiet chaos.


	2. Princess Preparations

I was, as usual, the first one up the next morning. I decided to make a huge breakfast for everyone, so I showered, dressed, and headed for the kitchen, marveling at how different this was from the same day a year ago. Today, I was full of energy and life, waking up around five thirty, and brimming over with the need to just move. I closed the door to the kitchen behind me as I stepped in and immediately turned on the music. I started by making four flavors of cupcakes, one for each of the girls, to be decorated in their favorite colors later, after they had cooled. While the last batch was baking, I moved on and made a breakfast casserole, chocolate chip banana muffins, and started coffee. I could hear the sounds indication the beginnings of people waking up and was listening for the girls over the baby monitor, just starting to come awake. I took the cupcakes out to cool, put the rest of breakfast in, setting two timers, and danced around, squeezing oranges for juice and putting on the tea kettle. I also set out the milk, apple juice, grape juice, and fresh fruit on the counter. Then I got down plates and cups or glasses for everyone to grab when they came in. I heard small voices, so I headed in to see who was up. Dani was rubbing her eyes sleepily and yawning when I stepped in. Sammi was bouncing in place, vibrating with early morning energy and singing silly little songs to herself. Tiana was still asleep for the moment. And Stephanie had climbed out of her bed and was playing in the middle of the floor, having brought her stuffed dog with her. She had also gotten a teddy bear and one of the dozens of plush SepticEye Sams from somewhere in the room, and was having an imaginary tea party with them, or so I thought. "Good morning ladies. Who wants some breakfast?"

Dani squealed and grinned. Sammi clapped. Stephanie looked at me, smiling. "Hi Momma. Pwaying."

I chuckled and bent over, kissing her forehead. "Yes, I can see you're playing Steph. Now, does anyone want to brush their pretty hair first, or should we just head to the dining room?"

Sammi made a face. "NO." 

Stephanie looked at me. "Wed haiw? Pwetty Pwincess?"

I nodded. "Of course you're a pretty princess, baby. Now, if you want me to make your hair more red, you have to let me brush it first. We can do that now, or after you eat." She imeediately came over with the hairbrush and sat down in her little chair in front of me. I smiled and brushed her tiny baby curls until they shown and added a bunch of the red hair chalk, streaking her hair with vibrant red stripes, which added to the softer red of the sprayed in color from yesterday, made her hair practically glow red. I held out the mirror and let her look. She grinned and bounced up and down, clapping. I smiled and put a finger up to my lips, gently reminding her to stay quiet. "Shh! Tiana's still asleep, sweetheart. I'm glad you like it though. Now go pick up your toys." I gave Steph a gentle push towards her toys, guiding her over, and lifted Sammi out of her bed. She had watched everything and was looking unhappy. "Sammigirl, what's wrong?"

"Boo haiw. Want mowe boo. And geen."

I smiled at her. "Well, if you want more blue and some green, we have to brush it first. Do you want me to?" She nodded, looking unhappy. I brushed gently, working as fast and painlessly as I could. I was done in just a short moment and grabbed the blue and the green chalks, streaking Sammi's hair the way I had done her sister's. She smiled hugely when she saw the end result, hugging me tightly around the knees before bouncing in place, patting her hair, singing a quiet song about it. I looked over at Dani. She still looked half asleep, so I picked her up and carried her over to my chair, sitting her in my lap while I fixed her hair and chalked it. Then I lifted her up, holding her on my hip one handed while I grabbed Sammi's hand. "Stephanie, come hold Sammi's other hand. We're going to go get some breakfast." She looked up and nodded, running over.

We got to the kitchen just before the muffin timer went off, leaving me just enough time to get three toddlers into high chairs before I had to go over to the hot oven. The muffins were done, so I pulled them out carefully and put the next batch in to cook. I turned back to the girls and started dishing fresh banana slices and cheerios up to them. I also got their sippy-cups down and poured them some milk before adding the lids and handing them out. We had a set of five cups for each girl, all with their names, so no one ever used the wrong cup (well, no one who was passing them out to the girls, they sometimes swapped around later) and very attractive designs and colors all over them. The girls ate, making their usual mess. That was the reason we had the high chairs in the kitchen in the first place. The floor in here was hard wood, so we could clean it up easier than the carpet in the dining room. Plus, when it was just the guys and I here with the girls, we always at at the kitchen table just because the room was less formal and it was easier to manage. I kept one eye on the girls as I continued to work in the kitchen, preparing food to cook later for the princess party. Sure, there would be a fine tea party, but there were also going to be kid-friendly homemade foods like chicken strips, pizza bites, apple tartlets, and lots of vegetables in all sort of preparations, including grilled. Some of the food was gear more toward Jack's nieces and nephews, but some of it was specifically for the girls. I was also making food for the adults, to be served throughout the day, so I had two pans of lasagna, some enchiladas, soup, appetizers, and sushi all prepared and waiting to be served. By the time the third batch of muffins was baked, I decided it was time to go check on Jack and Mark and see if Tiana was awake yet. I gave the girls a few more cheerios, looked into the living room, spotted Ma, and smiled at her, beckoning her closer. She looked startled to see me, but smiled and came over. "Good morning lass. I wasn't expecting anyone ta be up yet. I was just going ta sit and wait for tha next early riser ta see if they wanted anything for breakfast. Smells like ye already have stuff started though."

"Ma, I'm going to go check on Tiana, and the guys. Can you watch Sammi, Steph, and Dani? They should be fine, but I gave them some fruit, milk, and cheerios and don't want them to choke or something while I'm out of the room. There is hot water for tea, coffee in the coffee maker, juice, milk, or iced tea in the fridge, and hot chocolate chip banana muffins in the basket. I have a breakfast casserole cooking as well, and some fresh fruit. Help yourself!"

Ma grinned and patted my arm. "Go check on my other grandbabby. And tha boys. We'll be fine lass. Take yer time."

I kissed her cheek impulsively and skipped off, peeking in at Tiana first. She was still sound asleep. I stepped back into the bedroom, looking at my incredibly sexy boyfriends, who were, at the moment, snuggled into each other tightly, slightly shivering in the morning air because they had kicked the blankets off in their sleep and hadn't woken up again yet. I grinned and sighed happily, covering them back up. I was about to turn to go when I saw Jack start to stir, his eyes opening. He smiled as soon as he saw me, making my heart leap. I leaned forward and kissed him. "Happy birthday, sexy. I made breakfast and there's coffee when you can make it to the kitchen. I was just checking in on you and Markimoo here. The girls, except Tiana, are already in the kitchen with Ma, eating fruit and Cheerios. Ti is still sound asleep."

Jack grinned, stretched, and yawned. "Any chance of breakfast in bed, followed by some alone time with ye and Mark? No, no. we have ta plan tha girls party and get everything ready. Forget I asked. Now, away with ye. Ye're distracting me from getting dressed. I'll be in for breakfast in a minute."

I smiled, kissed him again, and stepped back out of the room, placing a kiss on Mark's sleeping face as well. I had just closed the door again when I head a noise in the nursery, so I headed over and saw Tiana was awake now and crying a little. "Baby, what's wrong? Momma's here. You're okay, sweetheart."

Tiana dove into my chest as soon as I got to the side of her bed. "No momma. No sissas. Ti aww awone. Scawed."

"Oh, Tiana, sweetie, your sisters are in eating their breakfast. We brushed our hair and made it extra pretty and decided to eat so you could sleep a little more. I'm sorry you were scared when you woke up alone. Now, do you want me to brush your hair and make it all pretty, like I did for your sisters, or do you want to wait until after you eat and we get dressed?"

Tiana looked at me, not crying anymore, but still looking sad. "I no pwetty?"

"Baby, you are perfect. I just meant we are making you extra pretty today, since it's your birthday. You an your sisters are all one year old today. And it's Daddy's birthday too. If we hurry, maybe we can say happy birthday to him before your sisters see him. Would you like that?"

Tiana's face broke into a huge smile. "Yes peas. Haiw."

I nodded and lifted her out of bed, carrying her over to the chair and brushing her hair out, the same as I had her sisters, and added the purple streaks of chalk. I paused for a moment. "Ti, would you like some pink in your hair too? Sammi has blue and green, so I could add some extra." Tiana's eyes got huge and she nodded, turning around to kiss me.

"Tank you Momma. Peas!" I chuckled and added the pink streaks, brushing her hair a few more time when I was done and handing her the mirror so she could see herself. She squealed happily and I picked her up, carrying her on my hip, as I usually did when I carried one of the girls. We were both surprised to see both Jack and Mark standing in the door grinning at us when we turned around. Tiana smiled. "Happy biwfday! Mwah!" She threw a dramatic stage kiss across the room and and grinned at Mark and Jack. Jack came over and took her from my arms, kissing her gently and snuggling with her for a few seconds.

"And a happy birthday to ye as well, Princess Tiana! Yer momma did a really good job on yer hair. Ye are my gorgeous little purple princess! Now let's go see what Momma made for breakfast, lass. An ye can kiss yer Papa good morning too."

Tiana grinned and turned to Mark. "MWAH! Smoochies!" Mark laughed and came over, kissing her forehead and wishing her happy birthday. I slipped past and headed back to the kitchen smiling fondly. 

As soon as I stepped in the room, Ma grinned. "Ye left tha monitor on, and we could hear ye. It was adorable."

I blushed a little and ducked my head. Dani got my attention by pounding on her tray, demanding "Wan mowe bweakfas Momma. I's hungy." 

I grinned and came over with a muffin for each of the girls, handing them out, making sure they weren't too hot still. I had just handed Steph her muffin when Jack and Mark came in with Tiana. Tiana squealed again when she saw muffins, making grabby hand motions. Jack chuckled and put her in her high chair. I grabbed the Cheerios, some fruit, and a muffin for Tiana and gave them to her. I turned around and got her a cup of milk as well. Then I checked the casserole, saw it was done and took it out, setting it down to cool. Mark had made a bee line for the coffee and was now sitting at the table, looking sleepy, but happy, and drinking his coffee. Jack had gone over to Ma and hugged her, telling her good morning. Then he made himself a cup of coffee and turned to face the girls. He laughed when he saw four tiny faces now smeared with chocolate and banana, but all excited and giggling. "Good morning ta the Princess brigade. Ye all look lovely, except for tha chocolate on yer faces. Who wants Daddy ta help clean them up?"

Sammi yelled "ME! ME!! ME!!!" waving her arms in the air.

I watched laughing along with Jack and Ma. I grabbed a washcloth and headed over as well. "Does anyone want Momma to help?"

Dani reached for me at the same time Stephanie did. I smiled. "Okay, I can help both of you, just give me one second okay? How about we help Steph first." Dani sighed and waited. Picking up a few stray Cheerios and eating them. I mentally shook my head. That child acted more like an adult than I did sometimes. I washed Stephanie's face and hands gently then headed to the sink and rinsed the washcloth. I headed back to Danielle and repeated the process. When the were both cleaned up, I handed them each a toy and let them play while the rest of us ate. Jack had cleaned Sammi us and was snuggling her in his lap at the table. She was watching all of us and hugging her favorite SepticEye Sam plushie, the one she had gotten at Christmas with a crown and cape. She loved it to death and I knew I was going to have to make her another one when it wore out from all the constant love. Tiana was still eating, but Ma had helped clean the chocolate and bananas off her as soon as she finished her muffin. I dished out plates for Ma, Jack, and Mark, carrying them to the table and putting them down for each of them before getting myself a glass of juice and a plate of food. As soon as I sat down, Jack scooted his chair over as close to me as he could and gave me a big kiss. Mark did the same, effectively pinning me in place. I didn't mind and kissed them both back. Jack leaned his head on my shoulder. I looked at him, curious about what he was thinking about. "So, Jack, what are you thinking? And what do you want to do after breakfast?"

Jack grinned. "Ye just asked me tha question I was asking myself. I want ta help with tha event later of course, but I don't know what's left ta do."

I smiled. "Get the girls ready and dress up, basically. I finished all the food prep as I was cooking breakfast this morning. A few things are going to need to go in the oven about noon, but that's all really. Oh, and put the decorations up, but Mark told me yesterday he wants to do that. So, I guess you and I can just play with the girls until we need to get ready. Sound good?"

He nodded. "Sounds great. Thank ye. And thank ye for getting everyone here again. I can't believe ye were able ta do that again this year without me knowing."

I laughed gently, fluffing his hair. "I can be sneaky. Now, you need to eat." I paused for a minute. "One final question here, Jack, would you prefer a party for the adults later this weekend, or a dinner out with friends and a family dinner here?"

Jack sat up, looking surprised. "Well, a night out without tha girls might be a rare treat, but who's going ta watch them?"

Ma laughed. "Jack, yer girlfriend has already recruited tha whole family ta watch yer babbies if ye want. Not that it was a hard sell. We love them and they are very well behaved. And she's so organized, we just follow tha schedules for things. Tha girls know what ta do, if we stick ta the schedule. Besides, ye could wait ta go out until they go ta bed if ye needed."

Jack blushed, grinning. "I hadn't thought of that. And yeah, [y/n] is amazing at keeping everything running smoothly. Mark and I would be lost with her."

I blushed now and changed the subject. we all talked, watching the girls play and eat, greeting family as they came downstairs and wandered in looking for coffee or tea and finding food as well. Before long the whole house was buzzing with activity and the lively hum of happy family talking. Once I finished eating, I cleared away the plates from breakfast for those of us finished and sitting in the kitchen. Darrell was on dish duty today, having volunteered the night before, but I liked to keep the dishes at least collected at the sink. Next, I helped Tiana, Steph, and Dani down from the high chairs, letting them loose on the living room. They immediately ran for Mom, Momiplier, and Dee who were sitting on the couch, sipping tea and coffee. All three looked up and grinned at the approaching mob. Ma stepped out behind me, holding Sammi. She headed over and joined the Grandma squad. I checked to make sure Jack was still out of earshot and came over to them. "Hey listen, thanks for offering to watch the girls for our friend dinner tonight, but I have a huge favor to ask. Could you actually watch them so we could have a weekend getaway? We haven't had any alone time together since last summer. Not that we don't love the girls to distraction, but well, it can be hard to have romantic or alone time together with them around."

All four grandmothers instantly agreed, telling me to go get suitcases packed and head to a hotel after the dinner tonight, if we were ready. I grinned and thanked them, telling them I would see when worked best for the guys and I by the start of the party. Then I sighed and sat down in the arm chair behind me, closing my eyes. It was nine thirty, and I was already a little fried. Sammi and Dani immediately came over to me, patting my knees. I opened one eye. They both had their pacifiers in and they were holding out stuffed toys for me. I smiled, thanked them, and took the toys. They grinned and ran back to their sisters, resuming play. I leaned my head back again and closed my eyes, hoping the headache I had starting would go away. A moment later, I felt hands on my temples, rubbing gently. I turned slightly towards them and opened my eyes again. Mark was massaging my forehead. "Babe, what time did you actually get up this morning? You need to sleep sometimes too."

I scoffed. "I woke up at five thirty. Who needs sleep? Stress is what I have right now. I'm just hoping the party goes well."

Mark grinned and leaned down, kissing me upside down. "If you planned it it will. Now," He looked up and addressed the girls. "Who here wants to be a princess at their party?"

All four girls ran over, so Mark and I herded them back to the nursery. I looked over at Mark. "Thank you. Hey, where's Jack? I thought he was going to help me get the girls ready while you put up the decorations?"

Mark grinned. "We switched. He'll come help as soon as he finishes though." I nodded and we dragged out a huge box of costumes and princess stuff, helping guide costumes and choices for each of the girls. Before long, they all had a little pile of clothes and accessories to get them into. I paused and looked at Mark. He looked up at me. "Babe? Do you need to go take care of something? I can handle things here for a minute or two on my own."

"Thanks Mark! I'll be back in a minute," I dashed into our bedroom and closed the door, changing into my costume for the party, a queen, with a long flowing robe, a crown, and a jeweled scepter. As soon as I was changed, I headed back in to help our daughters get ready. They all loved my outfit, squealing and dancing around me in delight. I winked at Mark and turned to the girls. "Now, you four are going to have to take turns getting turned into the Princesses we know you are. Who's going first?" 

Tiana leapt forward. I nodded and helped her into her outfit and added all the extras she had chosen, then I made her go sit quietly and watch. Stephanie came next and I got her all decked out quickly as well. Dani was next, then Sam. After that I smiled and gracefully curtsied to them. They giggled and tried to imitate the motion, so I showed them how to do it properly. The next hour was filled with giggles, laughs, and many, many, MANY curtsies to me and each other. Mark taught them how to bow as well, so they would alternate between the two as they looked at each other and giggled. Jack came back in after a while and was surprised by the girls all curtsying to him. Before long, I headed to the kitchen putting the food in to get hot, and we headed to the family room, where the party was all set up. Mark and Jack slipped off to get changed and as soon as the girls entered the room, now decorated with a princess theme, and saw the presents and food, the party started.


	3. Jack's Birthday Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the princess party, you, Mark, and Jack slip off for a grown-ups night out and you surprise Jack (and Mark)!

The girls party was a huge success. They all had a ton of fun, playing with all their friends, running around madly, chasing the dogs and each other, and playing with their cousins, who, mostly, agreed to wear costumes as well. Jack, Mark, and I were in full costumes as well, being the Queen and her two loyal knights (Jack and Mark chose those outfits, not me). Dan dressed up when he got there, claiming as an Uncle he was entitled to raid the costumes I had. I grinned and nodded. He was a dragon, much to the girls delight, if their squeals were anything to go by. Henry was dressed as a prince, but didn't really seem to care too much. He was more interested in the food.

The food was a huge success, as were the games and craft activities I had planned. In fact everything went so well that by six o'clock, when the party ended, all the kids under three were sound asleep, and the older ones were looking happy and tired as well. Everyone got the goodie bag I had made for them and headed inside, either to clean up, change clothes, or get some sleep. Jack's nieces and nephews, who mostly had been playing just as hard at the party as the girls were all either asleep on their feet or very quiet from being exhausted. I grinned. Jack and Mark helped me clean up the last of the ribbons and banners while Dan swept the floor. Arin and Suzy were smiling and waiting by the door for us to finish and change back into regular street clothes. They were dropping Katie off with a babysitter. Felix and Marzia had already left to do the same errand. We were going to meet everyone at the restaurant at seven for Jack's birthday dinner, sushi. What neither Jack nor Mark knew was that all our mothers were going to be watching the girls for the next few days. I had slipped off during a lull in the party and packed three bags for us and put them in the car. We were all set to go, as soon as we got changed and cleared things in here up. I handed Jack the last streamer just as Mark took down the last balloon. Jack pulled me in for a kiss, helping me off the ladder first. "Love, that was wonderful. The girls are so happy, or they were before they fell asleep. Ye made sure they had everything they could have wanted. And tha food was amazing as always. Now, let's go get ready ta go ta dinner. I can't wait ta have a meal without having ta worry about flying food."

I laughed. "What? You aren't going to miss the girls floor show? And who says Mark and I will be civilized and keep the food out of the air? Maybe I organized a surprise food fight just for your party." 

Jack laughed. "Ye would if I wanted one. Actually, I think ye would know if I wanted one before I did. Now, come on love, we get ta spend a night out, not talking about work or tha girls for once."

I smiled and leaned against Jack. "I know sweetie. And the girls are already asleep, so our moms will be fine with them." Jack hugged my waist, and I just stayed leaned against him for a few minutes, letting my stress run out for the first time in a while. 

Mark came over and grinned at us. "You two are adorable." I grinned and reached forward, pulling him into a hug. He grunted in surprise, but quickly melted into my arms. Jack had followed my body, still hugging me, so he was hugging around my waist and I had Mark locked in an embrace. When I let go, Mark wrapped his arms around both of us, pulling us in tight and showering us both with kisses. 

I heard Arin groan. "Enough you three. I want to get out of here. Katie's asleep, and I want to spend some quality time away from adorable fluffy behavior." Suzy smacked his arm, making him whine. 

I grinned at her. "I guess he's sleeping on the couch tonight, right Suz?" She giggled and nodded. Arin looked both embarrassed and offended. Dan was grinning watching the whole thing. I turned to him. "Hey Dan, thanks for assisting so much. The girls all loved the fact that you let them play with you in the costume and that you chased them around like that. And I'm sorry if Sammi smacked you with the toys too much."

Dan laughed. "She was hilarious. She's definitely not the typical princess, but somehow I doubt you were either." I grinned and shook my head. "Now, Mark or Arin, I could totally see as a princess. But not you, for some reason."

I laughed. "I was telling Mark yesterday, I was always the witch, dragon, or knight when I played. Unless we were short on boys, then I was the prince, or a princess who lead the rescue. Now, I'm the queen."

Jack laughed softly, leaning against me. "Indeed ye are love. Queen and undisputed ruler of tha mob that is our family. Ye keep everyone in line and make sure we're all happy. I still can't believe ye can do it all." 

Mark agreed. I smiled at both of them for a few seconds then straightened. "Well, come on boys, let's go get some real food. Sure, I made a little sushi earlier for the party, but not much and it was gone so fast, even I can't believe it. Let's go change clothes, kiss the girls one more time, and say our goodnights. The queen has so declared, and so it must be!" Dan winked at me as both Mark and Jack jumped to attention and headed out, laughing, but obeying. Suzy grinned at me as I lagged behind, wanting to talk to all of them for a second before I caught up and go ready myself. I also knew I would take a lot less time to change clothes and get ready then either one of them. I headed over to Suzy, Arin, and the sleeping Katie, who was asleep on Arin's shoulder. Dan had stepped over to the group as well. "Okay guys, before you head out, I have one more surprise for Jack. I got the Grandmother brigade to watch the girls so we can have a whole weekend to ourselves, starting tonight after dinner. Don't mention anything yet, please, but I wanted you to know in case you were looking for us before Monday rolls around. Oh, and I got Jack a bunch of new shirts and hats, mostly with game logos, but some of the merch is from StarBomb and NSP. Mark of course, knows nothing about any of it."

Dan grinned. "It's cute the way they leave all that up to you."

I rolled my eyes. Suzy laughed. "Danny, I doubt she thinks it's cute. She just does it because it needs done and if she doesn't, she's afraid no one else will remember. Right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Remember my birthday a year and a half ago? I told the guys when my birthday was at least a dozen times and dropped close to a hundred hints, but neither of them remembered until we were trying to plan Ken's party."

Suzy grinned at me. "You never did tell us what revenge you took for that."

I laughed. "I almost told Jack's family at the dinner table, or rather made them tell it, while I was meeting his family that first trip, when I was so pregnant. I was whispering to to the guys, so no one could hear me, but Jack's family informed him they could hear him just fine, even though he was whispering too. I thought the boys were going to die on the spot from embarrassment. Plus, I still hang it over their heads whenever I want. That seems like the best revenge, so far."

Suzy laughed. "That's perfect." Arin looked at me startled, and shook his head. Dan grinned. "Now we better go. Miss Katie here needs to get home and into her jammies so the babysitter can take over. See you in half an hour or so! Bye!" I waved and watched as Suzy and Arin left, Dan following close behind, since he was riding with them. I ran back inside and raced into the bedroom, immediately stripping down to my underwear and grabbing my deep blue sweater and grey skirt I had planned to wear tonight. I dressed in less than two minutes, before either of the guys even really realized I was back in the room. I slid my shoes on and grabbed the brush, brushing my hair gently, detangling the mess from having four toddlers play with my hair so much today. I smiled as Jack emerged from the bathroom, where he had been taking a shower. 

He blinked at me, startled. "Love, when did ye get back here? I didn't hear ye come in. And ye changed already? Wow." 

I laughed. "Jack, sweetheart, I've had to master the thirty second change of clothes since the girls came along. I can get changed and ready for just about anything really fast. Haven't you noticed?"

Jack blushed. "Not really love. When ye are changing clothes, I'm either distracted or not in tha room with ye." 

I grinned and winked at him. "Now what could be distracting you if your girlfriend is nearly naked in the same room. Hmm. I wonder." Jack grrined. "You doof. Get ready to go. Where's Mark? Is he already waiting?"

Jack shook his head. "Nope. He went ta use tha other shower. Are ye really completely ready?"

I nodded, stepping close. He stopped drying his hair with the second towel and blinked at me. I grinned and pulled him in close. "Happy birthday Sean. I have a surprise for later, but I want to kiss you now. Especially since you're here, nearly naked, in front of me." Jack swallowed and pulled me closer still. We started making out, but I kept all my clothes in place, remembering we had a dinner to get to. I broke the make out session after a minute, feeling his frustration and arousal growing. "Sweetie, hold that thought for later okay? I promise, later."

Jack leaned his forehead against my shoulder. "Ye're driving me crazy lass. Good thing I love ye so much."

"I love you too, Sean. Now get dressed. We don't want to keep our friends waiting. I'll go tuck the girls in." I placed a quick kiss on Jack's forehead and stepped out of the room, nearly running into Mark as he came back. "Hurry Mark. We need to get going soon. I'm checking on the girls." I kissed him as well and stepped down the hall into the nursery. Tiana and Sammi were sound asleep. Dani was fighting sleep. Stephanie was awake, but looked sleepy. "Dani, Stephy, you need to sleep. Momma, Daddy, and Papa love you very much, but we need to go out, so your grandmothers are going to be here to watch you. Nana, Granny, Grammy, and Grandma are all here. So is Grandpa."

Stephanie looked at me and whined. "No Momma. Not sweep. Pway."

I crossed my arms. "Nope. Princess Stephanie and her three beautiful sisters all need to sleep. I can sing you ONE song, but then lights out. Let me tuck you in first. There we go. Be good girls for your grandmothers okay? Momma, Daddy, and Papa will call you on the phone tomorrow to talk to you if you are." Dani grinned and snuggled down into the blankets as I said that, pulling her stuffed rabbit into a tight hug. I kissed her forehead. "Goodnight baby." I tucked the blankets tighter around, and kissed, the sleeping Sammi. "Sweet dreams Sammigirl." I moved on to Tiana. As I tucked the blankets in she opened her eyes and asked for a kiss. I smiled and kissed her forehead, handing her the stuffed purple elephant she always slept with. She snuggled in and fell right back asleep. "Goodnight Ti." I finally got to Stephanie who was looking mutinous. "Stephanie, sweetie, if you don't go to sleep like a good girl, I'll have to tell your grandmothers NOT to give you a cupcake tomorrow. Only good girls get cupcakes." Stephanie pouted but settled back, allowing me to tuck the blankets in around her and hand her the stuffed red monkey she liked to sleep with. I kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams Steph." I stepped to the door and softly sang Amazing Grace to the girls, lulling them to sleep with the gentle music. All four of them were sound asleep when I closed the door. I smiled, leaning on it for a minute, before heading into the living room. 

All five of our parents were in there, playing cards. They smiled when I stepped in. Pa stood up and came over to me, hugging me. "Lass, ye did a great job with tha party today. It was lovely. Ma tells me we'll be watching tha little angels in there for a bit. Good. Ye and tha lads need a break. Ye seem a bit fried around tha edges and a short rest will help all three of ye. Are ye ready ta go?"

I smiled. "Yes, I am. I'm waiting on Jack and Mark. I got the girls all settled in bed, tucked in, kissed goodnight, and sleeping. Steph was our hold out tonight, but she was out like a light when I closed the door just now. I doubt they will need anything until the morning, but just in case, you know where the baby monitor is. It will reach as far as the guest house, if you want to sleep there, but you know where everything is and you are welcome to sleep where ever you will be most comfy. Thank you all so much for this."

Everyone waved a hand at me and shooed me off to go find the boys. They were just stepping out of our room when I got there. "All set?" They nodded. "Then let's go!"

We drove to the sushi place and found our friends already waiting inside. We had an entire room reserved for our use tonight. We all settled in seats, with Jack sitting between Mark and I. We ordered some drinks and food and the party kicked off. It was great. Jack got a ton of presents that he loved. He claimed the gift from me of the shirts was his favorite, until I told him about the second part of the gift to him, from our families. He actually cried a little at that, tears of joy. Mark looked choked up too. I smiled at both of them. "Guys, we have an entire weekend alone together. You know what that means?" Jack and Mark both looked at each other and me and then blushed looking down. I grinned evilly. "SLEEP!!" Everyone in the room burst out laughing. I scooted over to Jack and whispered in his ear. "And lots and lots of sweaty, athletic sex. But first sleep. In each others arms." 

Jack smiled happily. "Thank ye love. Ye always get tha perfect gifts. We love ye."

"I love you both too. More than words can express. Now, give me a kiss." He did and Mark leaned in, pulling me in for a kiss as well before kissing Jack. I rested my head against Jack's far shoulder, snuggled in his lap, and counted my blessings in this perfect moment.


End file.
